Jury Duty: Render unto Caesar?

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by RevDWW

I have recently received my first ever Jury Summons, for early Feburary. I'm kind looking forward to the process. Lots of folks I know talk about trying to get out of it.

Is it a Christians duty to serve?

Who's more qualified to judge?

Have you served on a jury?

I have been called several times and served twice. Sent one guy to county and another to the state pen. I have mixed feelings about that- mostly bad.

The guy who went to county probably only spent the night - if that. He was charged with a DUI but went for the jury trial to argue that he had no intention of driving. He had broken up with his girlfriend and was drinking in his car in the apt parking lot with the radio turned up loud. Cops responded to a noise complaint and cited him for DUI because according to our state law (and most states) all you have to do is be "in control" of the vehicle. The defendant complained that he was drinking in the parking lot to allow his roommate a chance to sleep because he had to work the next day. It was probably all true - but the law... you know?

The other guy said he just happened to be walking down the street past a car that he "didn't know was stolen..." Three cops testified that they had actually pursued him for several minutes and arrested him after he climbed out of the car and started to walk away.

Neither experience was pleasant.

We're not there to judge their souls, just to judge the law and whether the law was violated in that particular case.

[Mercy]

Originally Posted by RevDWW

I have recently received my first ever Jury Summons, for early Feburary. I'm kind looking forward to the process. Lots of folks I know talk about trying to get out of it.

Is it a Christians duty to serve?

Who's more qualified to judge?

Have you served on a jury?

So funny...I just recieved my first summons ever for February as well! I dont know why it took so long...I've been a registered/active voter since I was 18.

I believe it is our duty to serve, and I look forward to it....as long as its not a scary case! I dont want to come face to face with a murderer!

[RevDWW]

Is it wrong to shirk our civic duty?

[jimmyrrs]

Originally Posted by RevDWW

Is it wrong to shirk our civic duty?

Yes. If you want to have your voice heard and your voted counted, then you need to be willing to do the rest of your civic duty.

It's not that bad. I have been called several times. Picked once and then dismissed. Tell the truth when ask all questions.

Don't try and get out of it. I ask to be released because I am a funeral director and had a funeral to take care of. Told the judge, yet he said have a seat, the others can take care of it. I said yes sir and never ask to be removed again.

[James Griffin]

Ironically I have jury duty next Thursday.

Probably second summons in 20 years.

As a former prosecutor and defense attorney seriously doubt won't get struck by both sides.

:-)

[StillStanding]

I have to serve on a jury the the last week of May!

[Mercy]

Originally Posted by James Griffin

Ironically I have jury duty next Thursday.

Probably second summons in 20 years.

As a former prosecutor and defense attorney seriously doubt won't get struck by both sides.

:-)

We would have been there together! I will be in DC next week for the Inaug. so I had to change my date.

[James Griffin]

Originally Posted by Mercy

We would have been there together! I will be in DC next week for the Inaug. so I had to change my date.

LOL mine is lowly JP court so probably a traffic ticket.

When in Feb? You do know that is when the serial killer case is scheduled?


Hope to see you tonight sis. Depends on how much better the kids are doing...

[Mercy]

Originally Posted by James Griffin

LOL mine is lowly JP court so probably a traffic ticket.

When in Feb? You do know that is when the serial killer case is scheduled?


Hope to see you tonight sis. Depends on how much better the kids are doing...

Uh, nope...didnt know that!!! Its Feb 10th. I wouldn't get picked for a capital trial because I would never vote for the death penalty. Ever.

I cant come to church on Thursdays (booooo). I have a schedule conflict with a meeting from 630 to 730 in the Woodlands each Thursday.

[Margies3]

I've been called twice and served once.

I was dismissed from the one because they asked if we knew the difference between a shotgun and a rifle. By the time they got to me in the selection process, I was already tired of the nonsense that was obvious was going to go on in this particular trial. So when they asked me if I knew, I simply said, "Yes, one is longer than the other". Wrong answer of course. But I knew that. I also knew that this was going to be a huge waste of time trial. So I suppose I should feel bad, but I don't.

The next one I served as an alternate. So I had to sit in on the whole trial, but didn't get to vote in the end. In this case, that was probably for the best. This was a young lady whose boyfriend had been beating the tar out of her for over 5 years. Broke many bones. Many black eyes, etc., etc. He had a record a mile long of domestic violence. She finally got tired of calling the police every time he beat her up again. So one day he beat the tar out of her. She endured it. And then he left for work at a garage. She went and got a gun, drove to his work, walked in and blew him away.

My feeling on that one was that we should give her a gun and let her go after all the rest of the jerks in the world who beat up on women. But the jury ended up convicting her. They sympathized. But felt like they had to follow the letter of the law. So she went to prison. But on a lesser charge than they had originally gone after her for.